It
by Black Pearl
Summary: It was happening again. Another loss, another innocent child taken. Frodo's heart skipped at the first shriek that went into the air. The body had been found....r/r please!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I've thought about doing this type of story for a while. Basically, I've   
based Stephen King's "It" in a Lord of the Ring's background. If you've never   
read the book or seen the movie, a creature terrorizes neighborhood children,   
feeding off their worse fears and then, well, eating them. I've decided that it   
would be easiest to set the story in the Shire. This is an A/U fic. Warning,   
graphic violence and some scenes may bother the weak of heart (and stomach) BP  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR, Stephen King's ideas, or Frodo, Sam, Merry, and   
Pippin, or any other of Tolkien's hobbits. The rest is mine.   
  
  
Symbols:"********" is flashback "****************************" scene/POV change,   
' ' means someone's thinking  
  
  
  
  
Prologue: And so it begins again   
  
  
  
  
It was happening again. Another loss, another innocent child taken. Frodo's   
heart skipped at the first shriek that went into the air. The body had been   
found. He walked numbly over to where the group was gathering. Someone had been   
good enough to lay a blanket over what was left of the corpse and also to escort   
the hysterical mother away, but for Frodo, it wasn't enough. It was his fault it   
was happening again. They had failed to kill it, and now it had reawakened.   
Frodo stood silently as the dead child was carried away. It had been the third   
killing in 4 weeks. Everyone blamed wild wolves, but he knew better. Something   
had to be done. This time, they couldn't afford to fail.  
  
  
  
*****************************  
  
  
Despite the tragedy, life continued normally, as it always did. These days,   
there were curfews. "Children don't wander too far," concerned mothers would   
say, "these are dangerous times. There are dangerous animals about." Little   
Gerbald Humdum heard these words, like all the other children, and he listened,   
most of the time, but one day, temptation got the best of him.  
  
  
  
  
He went into the fields to play hide and seek. Somehow, he was always the one   
seeking. "I'm going to find you," he taunted. At the sound of distant giggles he   
turned his head tentatively, Brushing back deep amber curls from his face, he   
ran towards the sound. He pushed the high grass aside, stepping through   
carefully, "I'm gonna get you!" he said. The giggles subsided. Gerbald stopped   
and looked about him. The grass a bit higher than he thought it was, and already   
he was having a hard time remembering which way he had come. He turned to face   
forward, and received quite a shock. A person, a very tall person had somehow   
appeared before him. Gerbald fell backwards, startled. "Well now," the stranger   
said with a laugh, "you should watch your step." Little Gerbald looked up in   
wide eyed shock. It was an elf. He'd heard about them, but he'd never seen one   
before. This one was a male with long lovely blond hair and bright blue eyes and   
a very gentle smile. Gerbald stood slowly. "Hello there little one," the elf   
said gently, "are you lost?"  
  
  
  
Little Gerbald shook his head slowly. The elf looked him over and then cocked   
his head to one side. Even though Gerbald wasn't but twelve years old, there was   
something about the elf that Gerbald did not like. It wasn't his face or even   
his height. The elf smiled at Gerbald, who suddenly felt afraid. It seemed the   
more afraid Gerbald felt the wider the elf smiled. "What's the matter little   
boy?" The elf asked sympathetically, "You aren't scared of me are you? Come now,   
let's be friends." "My...momma says not to talk to strangers." Gerbald said   
decidedly, taking a step back. "A very wise woman your mother," said the elf in   
a whisper, "tell me, if I weren't a stranger, we could be friends then couldn't   
we?" The little boy pondered this for a moment. "I," said the elf in an official   
tone, "am Gómir . What might your name be?" Gerbald gave a quick glance   
backwards, feeling suddenly very far from home. "I'm Gerbald," he admitted   
almost reluctantly. The elf knelt slowly before Gerbald. "So can we be friends   
now?" the elf asked eagerly. "I...I guess so." Gerbald said. Nearly too fast for   
young Gerbald's eyes to follow, the elf's hand opened, and a small lovely flower   
was revealed. "Isn't it pretty?" his voice cooed. Gerbald nodded. The flower was   
a pretty shade of blue, it seemed exotic for some reason. Gerbald wanted to hold   
the flower.  
  
  
  
"Would you like this flower, Gerbald?" Gómir asked, "It floats in water, it   
floats so slowly and gently, almost like a dream." Gerbald was nodding in spite   
of himself. The elf's hand remained open. "Go on," he smiled, "take it." Again,   
the uncertainty and fear returned, but the temptation was too much for Gerbald.   
He reached for the flower. Immediately, the elf grabbed Gerbald's arm, crushing   
it. But that was not what made Gerbald scream. No, it was the new sight fell   
before his innocent eyes. It was no elf that had him now, but something that   
made Gerbald lose his mind. So that he could not fight as he was drug away to   
his death.  
  
  
  
****************************  
  
  
Pippin awakened from his nap in a cold sweat. He looked quickly around and   
remembered that he was in his home, safe. As consciousness came, the dreams that   
had troubled him so faded and he could not remember what had made him afraid. He   
knew of the deaths, but couldn't understand why it was so....familiar. Indeed,   
as his own coming of age drew near, he could scarcely remember his childhood. He   
dismissed it as a time of foolery and games as most do as they become too   
serious for the games and fears of children.   
  
  
  
He had stood to stretch his weary form when there came a knock at the door.   
Since he was nearest he went to answer. "Hullo Merry," he said cheerfully at the   
sight of his best friend. The look on Merry's face wiped the smile off of his   
own. "What's wrong?" he asked. "The Humdum's boy Gerbald's gone missing," Merry   
replied grimly.  
  
  
*************************  
  
Okay, that's the end. A review or two would be encouraging, but in the meantime,   
I'll be going. Later days! BP 


	2. Promises

A/N: Today is update day!!! All stories are being updated since I have been to busy to do it since classes have been murder..not literally, of course (looks around self consciously). I've changed the sentence structure so you can see who is talking. I've learned that is the "correct" thing to do. So much for style and interpretation...  
  
  
  
Promises  
  
  
  
Merry stepped in quickly. Pippin shut the door behind him.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Gerbald Humdum. He didn't come home with the children he was playing with."  
  
Pippin shrugged. "Maybe he's playing a joke." Merry frowned.  
  
"That's what you said about the last one."  
  
The "last one" who hadn't come home was Posey Bumbswort. Everyone had dismissed it as a simple childish prank after the other deaths, until the child was missing for a couple of days.  
  
"Something is wrong here Pippin, I don't know what it is, but-"  
  
There was a knock at the door and Pippin rushed to answer it. Merry wasn't too surprised by Pippin's actions. He never wanted to talk about it. Neither did anyone else for that matter.  
  
Sam walked into the room, followed by Pippin. Sam looked about him, visibly nervous.  
  
"Master Frodo sent me down here," he said after a moment, "He wants to meet with us."  
  
Pippin had went into the kitchen but asked, "What about?" to signal that he'd heard the statement.  
  
"About what's been going on..with the murders of the children."  
  
"Murders?" Pippin came out of the kitchen, carefully carrying cups and a hot kettle, "There haven't been  
  
any murders." Sam and Merry gapped at him. "What do you call the bloody remains we've been finding?"  
  
Pippin then went to into a speech on dangers and wolves and how irresponsibly children were being reared.  
  
"So are you going to come or not?" Merry asked, feeling that if he didn't cut in with the question, Pippin might have gone on forever. "Of course, of course, though it's kind of pointless if you ask me."  
  
Sam, who took just a sip of his tea rose to go. "Well then, I have to return as soon as possible to let him know. Mr. Frodo said to do so." Pippin and Merry said goodbye to Sam. At the shutting of the door things felt too silent, especially so between Pippin and Merry. They had always had so much to talk about before this series of "incidents" began occurring a few weeks before. Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Merry looked up at Pippin, who it seemed was now watching him.  
  
"You think that there may be.a murder or something out there."  
  
"Well, yes Pippin. Wolves couldn't do something like that." Pippin sniffed indignantly.  
  
"Of course they could? Worse than that even."  
  
"No, no that's not what I meant." Merry now felt the need to whisper, which would seem rather ridiculous since the two of them were alone in the room at the moment.  
  
"I meant that, there was something strange in the way the bodies were left. I mean wolves feed of course, but then, why don't we hear them? Why hasn't anyone seen them? There haven't been any howls, or tracks. Wild animals would leave footprints by the bodies, but there haven't been any, not a single one."  
  
Merry paused and could see clearly from the look on Pippin's face that he was somewhere between fearful and on the verge of explaining it away.  
  
"There's something else there, too," Merry said, before Pippin could think of an explanation, "for some reason, all of this.it feels sort of familiar."  
  
"Familiar?" asked Pippin, laughing a little. "Why would any of this be familiar? It's not like it's happened before."  
  
"I don't know," said Merry, "I mean I don't really remember. Do you think Frodo would remember?"  
  
"If we don't remember, I doubt he would, and even if he did, what good would he do us." It wasn't like he could jog their memories.  
  
********************************  
  
That evening, the four of them sat, Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo, around the table in the kitchen. The room was dimly lit, but hardly for effect. For some reason, it added a feeling of secrecy as well as privacy, both of which were very much needed.  
  
"As you all know," Frodo began, "I arranged for this meeting to talk about what has been happening, something that was promised a long time ago."  
  
"What promise?" asked Merry, "I don't remember any promises."  
  
"Me either," Pippin agreed, shaking his head in confusion.  
  
Sam hadn't remembered either, but said nothing, having silent faith that Frodo would give a reason that would then bring the event to mind.  
  
"I didn't believe any of you would remember, simply because I didn't remember myself."  
  
The others regarded Frodo curiously, but waited for him to continue.  
  
"The thing is, when I was out with the others, looking for young Posey the other day, I walked past the well beyond Mrs. Hornbrower's garden. At the mentioning of the well, an almost involuntary shudder enveloped Pippin. Why, he didn't know. It was a sort of shudder that comes for no reason or need, and when it was gone, left behind a feeling of embarrassment. "Are you alright?" Merry asked, placing a hand of concern on Pippin's shoulder.  
  
"Yes, I'm just a bit cold is all," Pippin lied.  
  
"Are they still out looking for the Humdum's boy," Sam inquired, neither leaving nor remaining on the subject.  
  
"Not yet, I don't think," replied Frodo. Something in his tone said he didn't expect the boy to be found alive. "About the well," Frodo continued, "it was almost like a nudge. I promised, I promised if any of this happened again, I'd try to do something, and you all promised too."  
  
The others were nodding now, but even though memories of words spoken were there, they could not trace them, and so they remained silent, still waiting.  
  
"None of you remember what happened do you?" Frodo said in amazement. "How could such a thing be?"  
  
When still no one answered, Frodo said, "Perhaps, if we were to back through what I remember, and what each of you remember, we can get somewhere."  
  
Pippin started to disagree, but didn't to sound childishly unreasonable.  
  
"Alright," said Sam, finally, "So who should we start with?" Merry smiled slightly. "Well since you asked, why don't you start?"  
  
*******************  
  
Sorry if that took forever, but hopefully things are starting to get established. There will be flashing back in the next chapter, just to warn you ahead of time. 


	3. I dare you

A/N: Sorry for the big gap, I'm in the last few weeks of the semester at college and things are...cluttered. I *will* be updating this story so don't worry.  
  
  
  
I dare you  
  
  
  
****Flash back, fifteen years earlier....****  
  
Sam watched him anxiously out of the corner of his eye, but Gaffer gave nothing away. Everytime Sam thought that he would be done with chores and able to go out and play, he would be told to do something else. Sam was beginning to think he'd never get away. Finally, having finished planting the last of the flowers, Gaffer turned to the now eager Sam.  
  
"Well," he said speculatively, "I suppose you've helped me enough for one day."  
  
The words had barely left the man's mouth before Sam turned and sprinted away.  
  
"Hey now! Remember to be careful! It's not like it was when I was your age, things are a bit more perilous!"  
  
Things were always a bit more perilous from the adult point of view. Sam ignored the needless warnings and after looking back with a wave made his escape.  
  
**************  
  
The well was deep, bottomless, there was no way he would go near it, no one would. All the children had heard about the well being haunted, or spooked by some nameless dark magic. So then, what was he, Samwise Gamgee doing in the Hornbrower garden, headed to the well?  
  
It started out as simple bragging and dares, children daring each other to do something absolutely ridiculous so they could laugh about it later. No big deal. Then Edifice Proudfoot took it upon himself to bring up the old well, saying he'd actually looked into it a couple of times. No one believed him of course, not even Sam.  
  
"I've been by the well once or twice," Sam admitted, "but I've never looked in." "Why," asked Edifice, "were you afraid?"  
  
Edifice had held on to his lie that he had himself visited the well, but now felt he could push speculation from himself onto Sam, who sniffed offendedly.  
  
"Fear, had nothing to do with it," Sam said, "it was just that I had no interest in it. I still don't."  
  
A few of the children snickered, and began to whisper among themselves. Sam began to feel heat creeping to his face. He dreaded it, but knew a dare was coming. It was one thing to be a liar, which was the equivalent of a teler of tall tails, no that was harmless. But to refuse a dare, especially one that would label you a coward, would be unthinkable.  
  
So yes, he accepted, this particular dare. The conditions were that he leave some proof, either a possession or carve something in the dirt to let the others know that he had truly been there. The sun was beginning to set and Sam knew that it would be darkening when he reached the well.  
  
Sam gulped as he reached his destination. He stood there for a moment, just looking at it. Sure he had seen it before as he passed, but for some reason, it looked....different.  
  
"Alright Sam," he said to himself, "Here goes nothing."  
  
Sam walked slowly up to the well. It seemed it took him longer to approach the well then it did for him to arrive to it. Sam picked up a small twig and wrote as neatly, but deep as he could:  
  
"Sam was here!"  
  
At the sound of a small chuckle, Sam jumped to his feet, and stumbled backward. He looked towards the well. Something was down there. Sam looked down at his writing to make sure it was neat enough and threw the twig into the well. He then turned and began to walk away. He had gone maybe a few feet when he heard something hit the ground behind him. Sam turned to look. It was the twig that he had thrown into the well. Sam ran away as fast as his feet could carry him.  
  
**************  
  
The next day, the group of kids, Edifice among them, insisted that he accompany them so that they could "verify" his presence at the well. It was daylight, so Sam could bear it this time, until he came back to the well. He didn't know how to explain it. For the other children, it was enough, they believed him. "A very funny message," giggled one little girl. Sam wasn't giggling. His message had been altered, if one could even call it that. It now read.  
  
"Samwise Gamgee floats!"  
  
Beside the message was a drawing. It featured little stick figure halfway above a wavy line which was no doubt water. Beneath the legs of the little stick figure was a monster preparing to eat it. "Well, that's that," said Edifice patting Sam on the back. He and the other kids turned to go, but Sam lingered for a brief moment before turning to go himself. He thought he heard a laugh, not unlike what he heard the night before. Sam quickened his step.  
  
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If you haven't guessed, I'll be focussing on each person individually first. Thanks for the reviews they are encouraging! ^.^ BP 


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